06 LC 36
0086
House
Resolution 1289
By:
Representatives Kidd of the
115th,
Heard of the
114th,
and Smith of the
113th
A
RESOLUTION
Recognizing
and commending Pedro
Villegas-Narváez,
D.V.M., for his monumental contributions and accomplishments, and inviting him
to appear before the House of Representatives; and for other
purposes.
WHEREAS,
Pedro
Villegas-Narváez,
D.V.M., was born on December 2, 1943, to
Jesús
Villegas-Vélez
and Leonor
Narváez
in the town of
Líbano
(Tolima), Colombia, South America; and
WHEREAS,
Dr. Villegas has been a member of the faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the
University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, since 1977; and
WHEREAS,
Dr. Villegas holds a
bacheloŕs
degree from the Universidad del Tolima,
Ibagué,
Colombia, a Master of Science degree in veterinary microbiology from Texas
A&M University in College Station, Texas, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree
in medical microbiology from the University of Georgia; and
WHEREAS,
Dr. Villegas has been Acting Director of the Veterinary Microbiology Program of
the Colombian Agricultural Institute, Director of the Diagnosis and Avian
Diseases Program of the Colombian Agricultural Institute, and faculty member at
the National University and the Universidad Javeriana, in
Bogotá,
Colombia; and
WHEREAS,
Dr. Villegas is regarded as a leading authority in the field of poultry science
and has achieved the highest honors and commendations in his field, including
membership in the most respected professional organizations in his field,
induction into the Latin American Poultry Hall of Fame, election as President of
the Latin American Veterinary Poultry Association, and an honorary doctorate
from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, becoming the first veterinarian to
receive that
universitýs
highest honor in its 500 year history; and
WHEREAS,
Dr. Villegas is an honorary professor of the Universidad de Peru, and the
Universidad del Tolima in
Ibagué,
Colombia; and
WHEREAS,
Dr. Villegas has been recognized by the California State Assembly for his
accomplishments via the passage of Members Resolution No. 932 on March 26, 2001;
and
WHEREAS,
Dr. Villegas has developed and patented vaccines and methods that have made
extraordinary contributions to the poultry industry and food security in
Georgia, the United States, and the world; and
WHEREAS,
through his exceptional commitment to teaching, Dr. Villegas has trained scores
of poultry veterinarians from the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador,
Spain, Chile, France, Egypt, Brazil, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Pakistan,
Venezuela, Taiwan, the Philippines, Germany, Argentina, and Peru;
and
WHEREAS,
Dr. Villegas became a naturalized United States citizen in December 1989;
and
WHEREAS,
Dr. Villegas is married to Angela E.
CataΖo
and has three children: Pedro, born in 1971,
Andrés,
born in 1976, and Patricia Elena, born in 1983.
NOW
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of
this body join in recognizing the extraordinary contributions Dr. Pedro
Villegas-Narváez
has made to the State of Georgia and the United States and commending him for
his distinguished career and professional achievements in teaching and research
and as an international Ambassador of Goodwill and Friendship in the field of
veterinary medicine.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Dr. Pedro
Villegas-Narváez
is invited to appear before the House of Representatives for purposes of being
recognized by the House and receiving an appropriate copy of this resolution at
a date and time to be fixed by the Speaker of the House.